Just as Kevah said, he met them at the stone door. He was by himself and only carried a small black pouch in his right hand. Millikan wanted to question but kept his maw shut instead.
"Step through the door and you should come out to an oasis, that's where you will find four donkeys and a carriage filled with enough resources to last you for a couple days. When you reach the border, please leave my donkeys with the quartermaster there. You should get horses in exchange but I doubt they give you more than two seeing as you have band of tarkata with you." Kaveh hands Rain the black pouch.
"Asante." Millikan growled out. Rain just nods and walks through the door as it opened up. They stepped out into the middle of an oasis that was on the western edge of the golden desert. Four red fur donkeys were setup to a large caravan with white tarp over head for shade. "Alright, let's get in." Millikan climbs onto the front of the carriage and took the reins. Chuma sat to his right and Rain to his left while the rest of the tarks climbed into the caravan. "I feel like this string of luck is going to come to a screeching halt."
"Talking like that and will end up walking very soon." Rain glared at Millikan. "it might be the elder gods watching over us."
"The elder gods don't care about us, not us tarkata." Millikan shook the reigns, ordering the donkeys to walk forward.
"What makes you say that? Is this another tarkatan thing?"
"We know there are gods we just…don't worship them. Religion isn't our thing, all we believe in is Awali."
"The first tarkatan."
"Pretty much." Millikan shrugged as he got the donkeys to walk faster, at this rate they should get halfway through the desert by nightfall. "We all have to believe in something right."
"Having something to believe in is what gives people the will to live." Rain leans back against the caravan wall. Millikan nods in agreement, can't argue with that. "So you fully accept being a tarkatan, do you ever get curious about your Edenian side?"
"I am more tarkatan then my mother, that's what my father would say." Millikan holds the reigns in his left hand and runs his other hand through his dreads to get them out of his face, obscuring his view. "I asked my mother and she…well she doesn't like talking about it. I tried to talk to Princess Kitana once but her bodyguard Jade wouldn't let me near her."
"Jade is rather 'attached' to the princess." Rain snickered. Millikan glanced at Rain, getting the hint. "I was told of my Edenian heritage by the queen before her passing, I didn't get much info from her just that she knew my father growing up."
"You didn't look into it?"
"I did when I had the time. Visit the archives and explored old Edenia. I was born after the merging so I wouldn't really know what Edenia was like."
"And the merging happened how long ago?"
"About ten thousand years ago or more." Rain went silent as Millikan cackled under his breath. "Make one crack about my age and I will throw you off this caravan." He threatened. Chuma looked pass Millikan at Rain, snarling in warning.
"Poa Chuma." Millikan pressed a hand against Chuma chest, forcing him to sit back. "I wasn't going to say anything. It just proves the fact that Edenians never really age."
"I will take that as a compliment."
"Yeah, don't expect me to compliment you on your looks anytime soon."
"You wound me."
"Not in the mood to inflate ones ego at the moment." Millikan chuckled as Rain turned his nose up at him. "But do feel free to compliment me of course." He added with a laugh. Rain shook his head as he relaxed in his seat. The rest of day was spent traveling, making occasional stops for a drink from a nearby cactus and eating the rations that Kevah supplied them. By time the sun went down the weather had started to drop dramatically. Thanks to Chuma, they managed to find a small oasis nearby. Millikan ordered the tarks to set up camp while he and Chuma try to set up a fire. Rain helped the tarks set up the tents which happened to be big enough to fit about four people, and there was only tents altogether.
"We can eat one of the donkeys." Chuma suggested. Everyone was sitting around the fire eating the rations. It wasn't satisfying to tarkatans but it did quell there hunger temporarily. Still the need for fresh meat lingered in them.
"Jibu ni hapana." Millikan shouted out for the third time. Chuma growled before getting up and going to one of the tents. Rain sat close to the fire while wrapped up in a thick blanket to keep warm, brows knitted together as he gritted his teeth behind his mask. "It's not even that cold out here."
"I'm not tarkata." Rain snapped back. The cold just made him cranky and bitter, he just hated it. Millikan shrugged looking at the other tarks get up and go into the tents to sleep.
"You going to stay out here?" Millikan stood up and brushed the sand off the back of his pants.
"Yes."
"Mind putting the fire out then."
"What." Rain looked over at Millikan. "I need the fire to stay warm."
"Then why don't you sleep in the tents, unless you have a disgust for being close to tarkatans or something."
"I…no." Rain went quiet, it would make sense to sleep in the tents with other bodies to keep warm with. "Why does the fire have to be put out so bad anyway?"
"The smoke from the fire makes it hard for me to sleep at night." Millikan walks over to closest tent and crawls in, lying next to Benzi. Rain stared at the fire for a moment before getting up, sticking his right arm out to douse the fire out. Huffing as he walked over to the tent and crawls in next to Millikan and curls up, making sure every inch of his body was covered. Millikan was laying on his back with his hands behind his head. "Comfy?"
"Cold." Rain complained. "Where's your blanket?"
"I don't need it so I gave it to Jabari." Millikan yawned, closing his eyes. "Usiku Rain."
A few minutes of silence passed and Millikan was starting to snore, but not as loud as the others. Rain was still awake and slightly shivering, over-exaggerating a bit. He scooted forward a bit until he was close to Millikan side, starting to feel a bit warmer. He scooted over some more and stops when he heard Millikan snort.
"What are you doing?" Millikan voice was deep and groggy from sleep. He woke up as soon as he felt Rain scoot over but didn't say anything until he felt him move closer.
"Trying to keep warm, nothing more." Rain sucked his teeth. Millikan clicked his teeth and rolled over placed his arm over Rain. "Umm…"
"Usiku Rain!" Millikan growled, wanting to go back to sleep. Rain didn't say another word seeing as he was now warmer then the fire.
Rain woke up to a loud noise. Quickly sitting up to see the tent empty. The distressed sounds of Donkeys could be heard along with the shouts and growls of tarkatans. The sun haven't even reached the horizon and already something had to happen.
"Damn it." Millikan slapped his hand over his face, one eye peeking through his fingers at the now dead donkey on the ground being eaten by three of the tarks. Just moments ago he was sleeping quite comfortably and the next thing he hears was a donkey screaming or what could described as a scream. He couldn't get to the donkey on time as one of the tarks had already sinking their teeth into the poor animal throat, suffocating it to death. All the other tarks just stood around, looking between the donkey and Millikan who seemed to get more irritated by the second.
"Oh." That's all Rain could say as he stood next to Millikan, seeing the bloody scene before him. One of the tarks rips the hind legs off the donkey and shuffles over to Millikan. The tark raised the leg up to Millikan like a peace offering. That only mad e Millikan more upset as he glared down at the other tark who reeled back from the look he was given. Rain took a step back getting the feeling he shouldn't be to close to Millikan right now.
"Get that out of my face right now Idi." Millikan snarled at the tark who jumped and scurried off, dropping the leg at his feet. "Might as well finish eating the ass. Because that's the last thing will be eating til we reach the border." Millikan turned on his heel and stomps away. He needed to take a walk, to cool off.
"Mill?" Chuma ran up to Millikan only to get sent running back from Millikan snapping his teeth at him. Rain looks at Millikan then back at the others. It was best to leave the big angry tark alone for now. Chuma orders the tarks to eat the rest of the donkey and pack up. Rain went over to the other three donkeys to check for any marks and found none, so they were safe. Now the problem was they only had 3 donkeys to pull the caravan.
Millikan returned moments later, having cooled down enough t not want to bite someone throat out. Rain approached Millikan and grabs his left elbow.
"You do know we have to pay for the dead one." Rain whispered to him.
"I know." Millikan sighed as he looked at the caravan to see everyone sitting inside. "Everyone out, sass hivi." He called out as he walked over to the donkey and removed the harnesses on all three. "Since some of you like to be greedy and don't follow simple rules. We are going to walk the rest of the way." He grabs the rein of one of the donkeys and hands it to Rain. "You don't have to walk though,"
"No, I thinks it's fair if I walk to." Rain nodded. Millikan shrugs and grabs the reigns of the other donkey and hands one to Chuma.
"Gura."
